Penn State Football Assistant Coach Charged With DUI

A former Penn State football player and current member of the Nittany Lion coaching staff was charged on Tuesday with driving under the influence of alcohol stemming from an incident in August in downtown State College.

Jordan Lucas, an assistant linebackers coach, had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal driving limit after an officer found him behind the wheel of a disabled vehicle on Aug. 16, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by borough police.

“We are aware of these charges and take this matter seriously,” a Penn State Athletic Department spokesperson said. “Coach Lucas remains with the program. As this is a legal matter, we cannot comment further.”

The officer observed Lucas in an SUV with two flat tires near the intersection of South Pugh Street and East Beaver Avenue at about 12:45 a.m. A review of street camera footage subsequently showed Lucas driving the SUV on the 100 block of East Beaver Avenue and swerving into the bus lane multiple times before coming to a stop in a crosswalk, police wrote.

Lucas initially did not respond when the officer spoke to him and had his foot on the accelerator with the vehicle in park, according to the affidavit. He did not remove his foot from the pedal when told to do so, but instead put his left foot on the brake, and the officer had to physically move his foot off the accelerator, police wrote.

He allegedly emitted a strong odor of alcohol and had sleepy, watery eyes. He had to be assisted to the sidewalk for standard field sobriety tests and stumbled multiple times, requiring the officer to prevent him from falling, according to the affidavit.

After being unable to perform the sobriety tests, Lucas was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center, where he consented to a blood draw, police wrote.

Results from the state police regional laboratory showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of .236%.

Lucas is charged with misdemeanor counts of DUI, as well as summary offenses of driving with a suspended license, driving an unregistered vehicle and parking in a crosswalk.

He was charged via summons. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21.

Lucas was a defensive back for Penn State from 2012 to 2015 and went on to a six-year NFL career that included a Super Bowl win with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was hired to the Penn State football staff in 2024.